


A Drunken Decision

by alwaysemmerdale



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Because chavvy Aaron is important, Domesticated Robron, Drunk Aaron, Fluff, M/M, Robert is scared of the dark, That's the look i'm going for, Think 2008 Aaron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6382966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwaysemmerdale/pseuds/alwaysemmerdale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a night out Aaron passes a piercing shop and does a dare- will he regret it in the morning?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Drunken Decision

**Author's Note:**

> Just some fluff set in the future when our boys are back together again.

Robert waved Aaron off that evening with the assurances that _of course he didn't feel left out,_ and the instruction to _enjoy yourself, you deserve it._ Robert kissed his boyfriend goodbye and warned Adam _not to get him in any trouble,_ before heading back into his and Aaron's little cottage on the outskirts of the village. Rob sighed as he settled into his armchair, preparing himself for an evening in front of the telly with his Game of Thrones box set and a few beers.

As the night wore on Robert became more fretful; he was missing Aaron's presence- he missed having Aaron to cuddle with as the temperature dropped and the innocent creakings of the old cottage in daytime became ever more ominous as darkness fell. Robert had always been scared of the dark: Aaron had teased him about it when he'd first found out, but he had secretly found it endearing- the great Robert Sugden, too scared to get up in the night on his own. Aaron had liked knowing that Robert had a weakness, he'd liked knowing that Robert wanted him, needed him and trusted him when he was scared. Now, Robert had every light turned on downstairs, but he dreaded having to go upstairs to bed on his own. Robert had become so accustomed to having Aaron there with him all the time: curled up in his lap or leaning on his chest as they watched a film in the evenings. Usually Robert would run his fingers through Aaron's soft, curly hair, or stroke his hand with the pad of his thumb, barely focusing on the television but letting his eyes rest on Aaron, noticing every shift in his beautiful face and thanking his lucky stars that he'd met his soul mate. Sometimes, Aaron would notice his gaze and blush, turning his head away and muttering _'stop that',_ unable to understand what Robert saw in him, worried that Robert would look too hard one day and notice something that he didn't like. This was when Robert would place his hands on either side of Aaron's face and ever so gently turn it towards him, looking into his eyes and telling him ' _you're gorgeous, I'll never get tired of looking at you, I love you'._ Other times they wouldn't watch a film at all but would get lost in flaming passion as the feel of Aaron on Robert's lap became too much to bear, or the steady stroking of Robert's hand on Aaron's arm lead to clothes being flung haphazardly on the floor as they made use of having their own cottage with no interruptions. They'd always go up to bed together- Aaron going up the stairs first with Robert closely behind, holding Aaron's hand tightly, since the stairway was unlit and Robert liked the security of Aaron's strong grip.

Thinking about all this now made Robert feel worse as all he clutched in his hand was a cold beer. He resisted the urge to text Aaron to check up on him- he didn't want to turn into Chas and start _'peckin' his head'_ as Aaron liked to say. As the Game of Thrones episodes got increasingly more gory and shadows started appearing on the walls as a result of the lamps around the room, Robert decided that he'd be better off in bed where the duvet would give him security. He left his armchair and switched off the TV before making his way to the staircase. He stared up into the dark abyss of the upstairs: this was when Aaron would usually take his hand and giggle _'don't worry I'll protect you from the monsters',_ before clambering up before him like his own personal bodyguard. Now, Robert made his way up slowly, taking deep breaths and telling himself over and over that _there's nothing to be afraid of_. However, as he got half way up the stairs he couldn't control the fear any more and he let panic overtake him: like a child he raced up the few remaining stairs and into his bedroom, throwing himself onto the bed and under the covers. As his heart rate began to return to normal he felt stupid, and as he climbed out of the bed to brush his teeth he wondered what Aaron would say if he'd seen that. _He'd probably wet himself laughing,_ Robert thought... _and then cuddle me afterwards and tell me I'm safe with him,_  Robert added a little wistfully.

Robert lay in the darkness staring at the ceiling, his own bed feeling alien to him without the warm weight of Aaron curled up at his side. Robert leaned over and grabbed Aaron's pillow before swapping it with his own, burying his face in it and inhaling the musky scent of the man he loved.

Robert must have fallen asleep at some point because he started awake when he heard a crash downstairs. This crash was punctuated by a loud exclamation of **_"SHIT"_** followed by a few more crashes- Aaron was home.  
"Aaron? You okay?" Robert called out, and when he didn't get a reply he got out of bed, shivering in his boxer shorts, and made his way down the stairs. When Robert reached the living room he chuckled to see Aaron in the armchair, one boot off and one boot still on, fast asleep with his hood still up.  
"Look at you, dirty little grease monkey." Robert whispered affectionately, taking off Aaron's other boot and throwing a blanket over him. He went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water before taking a painkiller out of the packet and placing it on the table next to Aaron- it looked like he'd need it when he woke up. There was no point trying to move him now- Aaron was a difficult drunk- sometimes happy and giggly, other times weepy and sad. Someone had once told Robert that when you are drunk all your layers get peeled away, and this seemed to apply to Aaron perfectly. Robert left Aaron with his hoodie on and the hood up because he might need the added warmth, plus he looked pretty cute like that. Robert kissed his forehead gently and crept back up the stairs to bed. He slept soundly now that Aaron was home, safe and well.

Robert's alarm woke him in the morning and he shut if off quickly so it didn't wake Aaron. He had a meeting early today and after that he would head down to the scrapyard- it didn't seem like Aaron or Adam would be in a fit state to go to work today and someone had to. Robert got dressed quickly before heading downstairs to see that Aaron had shifted slightly in the night but not moved, and his hood was still up. Robert didn't want to wake Aaron with noise from the kitchen so he wrote a quick note to tell Aaron where he was, before he headed off to the café to get his breakfast. When Robert entered the café, ordering his usual Americano and a bacon sandwich, he spotted Adam in the corner, looking rough with a coffee and a full English breakfast- hangover food.  
"Have a good one last night?" Robert called over, and Adam looked up, trying to put a face to the voice. When he spotted Robert he cracked a huge grin and asked him,  
"You like Aaron's little... Surprise?" Adam had a stupid smile on his face and he laughed as he asked the question.  
"Surprise? What surprise? Adam?"  
"Oh so you haven't seen him yet? You're gonna love it!"  
Robert couldn't get anything else out of Adam, and he realised that he would have to settle for asking Aaron himself when he got home.

Sometime around midday Robert got a text from Aaron reading:  
_I'm alive. Barely._  
Robert text back:  
_I'll see you in a few hours. Then you can show me your surprise xx  
_ Aaron cursed Adam as he read the text- how else could Robert know what Aaron had done?

When Robert got home from work Aaron was in the kitchen making dinner. Robert couldn't help himself- he'd only had one night apart from Aaron but it felt like longer- he hugged the younger man tightly when he saw him.  
"God you're a soppy git." Aaron had moaned but he'd hugged Robert back just as tightly.  
"Aaron why on earth do you have your hood up inside?" Robert had been surveying Aaron, who was wearing his trackies and a hoodie, as he made the dinner. Robert would tease Aaron when he dressed like this (which was most days), but secretly Robert loved Aaron's tough guy, chavvy look.  
"Look about the surprise... I don't know how much Adam has told you but... You wanna see?"  
Robert had forgotten about the surprise until now and he was eager to know what on earth Aaron had done that Adam had found so hilarious earlier on.  
"Show me!"  
Aaron took his hood down and turned his head to the side, revealing a large silver stud in his earlobe.  
"You got your ear pierced?! Jesus!" Robert was laughing now and Aaron was blushing bright red.  
"It actually hurts a bit..." Aaron mumbled and once again Robert pulled Aaron into his arms.  
"You look fit Aaron, OK? Don't take it out," Robert whispered into his ear.

"So why did you do it?" Robert asked Aaron over dinner.  
"I dunno... I can hardly remember... Adam dared me I think and it was either this or a tattoo so..."  
"Bloody hell Aaron! Well this is much better than a tattoo. Did you not get any aftercare instructions? Anything to clean it with?"  
"What do you think?" Aaron replied sarcastically.  
"Alright well I'll boil some water and mix some salt in it, I'm sure that's what you're supposed to do..."  
Robert poured the salt water into a cup and gave Aaron a tissue (they didn't have any cotton pads).  
"You'd better clean it or it'll get infected."  
"But it hurts!" Aaron grumbled as he wiped the tissue over his stud and flinched in pain.  
"I'll do it." Robert took the tissue from Aaron and gently cleaned the shiny silver stud as Aaron whined and complained.  
"There you go, all cleaned up." Robert said, kissing Aaron's temple when he was done.  
"Ta... You really think I should leave it in? I don't look like some stupid schoolboy trying to look like a hardman?"  
"Aaron it looks good. Trust me. Or do I have to prove it to you?"  
"You might have to..." Aaron said with a cheeky grin, "I'm still not entirely convinced..."

The next day Robert set off to the shops with a specific gift in mind for Aaron. He walked into the jewellers and passed the various displays of engagement rings, his gaze lingering on them for a second as he told himself, _one day, soon enough._ Robert looked around for a minute before he found what he wanted: behind the glass there were various chains in gold and silver. Robert knew which one Aaron would like immediately- it was silver to match his stud, and thinner than the others, making it understated and simple. He approached the assistant and told her what he wanted before paying and placing the little case in his pocket.

"So I went to the shops today and got you a present..." Robert announced over from the living room later in the day.  
"Bloody hell you haven't gone and gotten your ear pierced as well have you?" Aaron called back.  
"No! It's for you, come have a look."  
Aaron left the kitchen where he was washing up and walked to the living room where Robert was sitting with the newspaper.  
"It's nothing too fancy but I thought it would complete your... New look."  
Robert took out the case and handed it to Aaron who eyed it suspiciously before opening it, his eyes widening in surprise and a grin spreading across his face when he held the chain up on the end of his finger.  
"I used to wear a chain... Back when I was younger. Thanks Rob."  
Aaron turned and kissed his boyfriend before telling him to help him put it on. Robert stood behind Aaron and fastened the clasp at the back of his neck before planting a kiss just above it.  
"Come with me." Robert said, taking Aaron's hand in his and dragging him towards the full length mirror in the hallway. Aaron looked the part, that's for sure. His hair was neatly gelled and the silver chain around his neck caught the eye. The ear stud glinted in the light and to finish off the look Aaron was wearing his trademark black tracksuit.  
"Perfect," Robert said, "even if you do look like you're about to go mug someone."  
"Oi, shut up," Aaron laughed, smacking Robert's arm, "I haven't mugged anyone at least since I was a teenager".

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought!  
> I'm on tumblr it's alwaysemmerdale  
> Thanks for reading x


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